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Difference between revisions of "So Great Salvation, 4"

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==So Great Salvation, #5 ==
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==So Great Salvation, #4 ==
 
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For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward; (Hebrews 2:2) <br><br>
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The old covenant was inferior to the new covenant. If every disobedience under the old covenant was visited with chastisement, what sort of punishment will fall on the individual who neglects his inconceivably greater inheritance under the new covenant? To whom much is given, of him will much be required. <br><br>
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Salvation by grace is conditional. There is a part that the Christian must play under the covenant of grace. If he does not keep the words of Christ, he will face an angry God. <br><br>
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God loves those who do what Christ has commanded. <br><br>
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He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. (John 14:21) <br><br>
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Those who disobey Jesus' commandments will come under the judgment of God whether or not they are Christians! <br><br>
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If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. (John 15:6) <br><br>
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The fact that as yet we do not see all things put under man indicates that Adam and Eve did not receive the fullness of what the Lord God spoke in the beginning. Adam and Eve were the necessary physical beginning of the Kingdom of God. The flesh and bones that were created in them, and were begotten of them, are eternal in form and will be raised from the dead when the Lord comes (Luke 24:39). <br><br>
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The first man (the actual Man of which the Lord God spoke) to appear on the earth is the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ is what God means by "man." <br><br>
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Adam and Eve, and their physical descendants, are not "man" in the fullest sense of God's declaration. True "man" is what Christ is: son of God and son of man in the fullest sense. <br><br>
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As we stated previously, receiving Christ and being born again makes us eligible to enter salvation. Being baptized with the Holy Spirit provides us with the wisdom and power to pursue salvation, to press toward the fullness of eternal life. <br><br>
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After being born again and baptized with the Holy Spirit we are not to neglect the pursuit of the goal. Our goal is the fullness of salvation. If we neglect the fervent pursuit of salvation we will let the Word of Christ slip from us. We will wander in the wilderness of unbelief and disobedience until we die. <br><br>
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If we choose to wander in the wilderness of unbelief and disobedience we will fall back into sin. God's Word states that we then are near to cursing. We stand in danger of being burned. <br><br>
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Speaking of those who once had been living in eternal life, the Scripture warns: <br><br>
 
But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned. (Hebrews 6:8) <br><br>
 
But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned. (Hebrews 6:8) <br><br>
The Book of Hebrews is a warning to Christians to beware of falling away, telling the believers clearly the consequences of neglecting to serve Christ with a perfect heart. <br><br>
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And again: <br><br>
It is the overemphasis on grace, the position that salvation is unconditional, that is responsible for the abominations being practiced in the nations of the world. The Christians are not revealing in their behavior the light of godly behavior—which is the only moral light of the world. <br><br>
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For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, (Hebrews 10:26) <br><br>
The blame for the condition of the world rests on the Christian churches that teach that Divine grace makes it possible for us to ignore the commandments of Christ and still please God. It is this doctrinal error that is to blame for the degeneration of morals in the earth, and the resulting Gentile holocaust that is at the door. <br><br>
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The unfruitful Christian is an adversary of God (Hebrews 10:26). <br><br>
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There are five dimensions that taken together answer the question, What is man? As soon as we have attained maturity in each of these five dimensions we have become "man." We have inherited the fullness of salvation. <br><br>
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What is man? <br><br>
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A son of God. <br><br>
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The image of God. <br><br>
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An incomplete, dependent person. <br><br>
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The source of fruitfulness. <br><br>
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The throne of God. <br><br>
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Behold the Man, the Lord Jesus Christ! He is what God means by man. <br><br>
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He is the Son of God. <br><br>
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He is the image of God. <br><br>
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He is by His own choice an incomplete, dependent Person. <br><br>
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He is the fruitful Vine. <br><br>
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He is the Throne of God. He possesses all authority in Heaven and on the earth. <br><br>
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Therefore, Christ is "man" and Heir of the fullness of the Divine salvation. <br><br>
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Are there to be more heirs of so great salvation? <br><br>
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For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. (Hebrews 2:10) <br><br>
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We are the brothers of the Lord Jesus Christ, born of the same Father. Jesus has been made like us in all things. <br><br>
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Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. (Hebrews 2:17) <br><br>
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The Lord God is bringing many sons to glory. <br><br>
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We do not as yet see the believers in the fullness of their inheritance. We do see Jesus. He reveals in Himself what God means when He says, "Let us make man in our image." Jesus is our example, our goal, our mark. "As he is, so are we in this world." <br><br>
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We must pursue our heavenly calling. We must grasp that for which we have been grasped. It is God's will that every member of His elect press toward maturity in each of these five areas. God is ready to crown us with glory and honor if we will, through His grace, be diligent in overcoming the world, Satan, and our lusts, self-will, and self-centeredness. <br><br>
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''To be continued.'' [[So Great Salvation, 6]]
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''To be continued.'' [[So Great Salvation, 5]]
 
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''Back to'' [[So Great Salvation, 4]]
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Latest revision as of 23:49, 23 May 2018

So Great Salvation, #4

For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward; (Hebrews 2:2)

The old covenant was inferior to the new covenant. If every disobedience under the old covenant was visited with chastisement, what sort of punishment will fall on the individual who neglects his inconceivably greater inheritance under the new covenant? To whom much is given, of him will much be required.

Salvation by grace is conditional. There is a part that the Christian must play under the covenant of grace. If he does not keep the words of Christ, he will face an angry God.

God loves those who do what Christ has commanded.

He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. (John 14:21)

Those who disobey Jesus' commandments will come under the judgment of God whether or not they are Christians!

If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. (John 15:6)

The fact that as yet we do not see all things put under man indicates that Adam and Eve did not receive the fullness of what the Lord God spoke in the beginning. Adam and Eve were the necessary physical beginning of the Kingdom of God. The flesh and bones that were created in them, and were begotten of them, are eternal in form and will be raised from the dead when the Lord comes (Luke 24:39).

The first man (the actual Man of which the Lord God spoke) to appear on the earth is the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ is what God means by "man."

Adam and Eve, and their physical descendants, are not "man" in the fullest sense of God's declaration. True "man" is what Christ is: son of God and son of man in the fullest sense.

As we stated previously, receiving Christ and being born again makes us eligible to enter salvation. Being baptized with the Holy Spirit provides us with the wisdom and power to pursue salvation, to press toward the fullness of eternal life.

After being born again and baptized with the Holy Spirit we are not to neglect the pursuit of the goal. Our goal is the fullness of salvation. If we neglect the fervent pursuit of salvation we will let the Word of Christ slip from us. We will wander in the wilderness of unbelief and disobedience until we die.

If we choose to wander in the wilderness of unbelief and disobedience we will fall back into sin. God's Word states that we then are near to cursing. We stand in danger of being burned.

Speaking of those who once had been living in eternal life, the Scripture warns:

But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned. (Hebrews 6:8)

And again:

For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, (Hebrews 10:26)

To be continued. So Great Salvation, 5